Pallets for the handling of goods, processes for manufacturing pallets and methods of using pallets in the handling of goods

ABSTRACT

Processes, a pallet ( 10 ) and a pallet system are provided for the handling of goods. The pallet ( 10 ) includes a main body ( 12 ) defining a load deck ( 16 ) and feet ( 18 ) and the main body ( 12 ) is suitable to be used as a pallet for applications such as light duty, one-way transport of goods. The pallet ( 10 ) further includes a bottom accessory ( 14 ) that can be attached to the feet ( 18 ) of the main body ( 12 ) to form beams ( 44,46 ) extending between the feet ( 18 ) to convert the main body ( 12 ) into pallet ( 10 ) that is suitable for use in heavy duty applications such as in pallet pools. The main body ( 12 ) and bottom accessory ( 14 ) are each configured to allow them to be nested, when not attached to each other. The processes of the invention include using the main body ( 12 ) to transport goods from manufacturers and then attaching the bottom accessory ( 14 ) to the main body ( 12 ) to form a pallet ( 10 ) for use in a pallet pool. The pallet system includes a variety of attachments that can be attached to the main body ( 12 ) and/or the accessory ( 14 ) and can be removed, as necessary.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to pallets for the handling of goods (includingtransport and storage of the goods) and extends to methods ofmanufacturing the pallets and methods of using the pallets in thehandling of goods.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Pallets are used on a very large scale in the handling of goods andefforts are made continually to reduce the cost of pallets, improvetheir mechanical properties, extend their service life, etc.

There are various specifications that pallets need to meet for variousapplications, but some of the divisions that can be used to classifypatents, include whether or not pallets are returnable (e.g. to asupplier who supplies goods on the pallet), stackable (i.e. loadedpallets resting on the loads of pallets below) rack-able (i.e. palletscan slide into racks and support loads for extended periods), lightweight, heavy duty. Depending on which of these properties are requiredin a pallet (in addition to common requirements such as cost, strength,repair-ability, etc), the design of a pallet is typically a compromisebetween different attributes and there is a continuous need to improvethe overall properties of pallets while inhibiting compromises.

One of the problems experienced in the pallet industry, is thatsuppliers of bulk products, e.g. polymer manufacturers, need totransport their products to customers on pallets, but they do not wishto be saddled with the task of retrieving pallets after products havebeen delivered. They see pallets as a consumable packaging cost. Theythus typically supply products on non-returnable pallets and in order tokeep costs to a minimum, the pallets are made light in weight (typicallyabout 60 lbs) and with only sufficient strength to carry the load of thegoods being loaded. The pallets are typically not made durable enoughand/or do not have the mechanical strength to allow them to be used inother applications, such as heavier loading, stacking, racking, or thelike on a continuous basis. These light-weight non-returnable one waypallets (referred to in the art as “export pallets”, “white pallets” or“one way pallets”) are thus typically discarded at their destinations,causing wastage in the cost of the pallets and causing a burden on theenvironment.

Most export pallets are presently being made of wood, but in manycountries, suitable timber is not available for making pallets and thetimber pallets either have to be imported at great expense, or thetimber needs to be imported at similar, although slightly lower, expenseand the pallets need to be manufactured, burdening manufacturers ofproducts with costs and/or effort. Further, apart from the obviousenvironmental impact of deforestation caused by the supply of timber forpallets, the transport of timber pallets (or timber for pallets)increases gas emissions.

Once export pallets reach their destinations, they are typicallydiscarded, because they are not suitable for use as so-called “poolpallets” that are made for use in different applications such asstacking and racking and are re-used repeatedly. The export pallets thuscause further environmental burden because they are either discardeddirectly as solid waste, or they have to be dismantled (depending on thetype of pallet) and their materials disposed of in a suitable manner,such as incineration.

In many countries, “disposal fees” are levied before a timber pallet isallowed to enter the country and/or the pallet needs to be fumigated,heat treated or the like.

Another problem experienced in the pallet industry is the need totransport unloaded pallets cost effectively—whether during the supply ofpallets to a user, the retrieval of pallets, or the like. The mainproblem in this respect is that pallets are bulky by their nature (whichis to provide an elevated load platform with space underneath forlifting forks) and unloaded pallets thus occupy large volumes.

Another problem is one of labour because wooden pallet loads received inone country may need to be repacked on a different size pallet that fitsthe automated warehouse requirements.

Another problem experienced in the pallet industry is the need to repairpallets that become damaged. In some cases, it is cost-effective torepair pallets, typically by removing broken parts and replacing themwith new parts. It is for instance common practice to remove brokenslats in wooden pallets and replace them. However, in many instances,the parts of pallets cannot be separated easily and they are simplydiscarded when damaged, or the connections between parts of pallets aredamaged easily and the pallets cannot be re-assembled with sufficientstrength.

Yet another problem experienced in the pallet industry is that theattachment formations of multiple component pallets break duringextended use of the pallets, because they are exposed to various loadssuch as impacts from lifting forks, impacts while the empty pallets arehandled, etc.

Yet another problem experienced in the pallet industry is that there aredifferent standard pallet sizes that are used for different types ofgoods, load weights, storing configurations (e.g. with or withoutstacking and/or racking), etc. The space constraints in different areaswhere the pallets need to be stored vary and as a result, pallet sizesthat are suitable for one application, e.g. for handling fast-movingconsumer goods are not necessarily of a size that allows optimal use ofthe floor space available in a standard freight container or anautomated warehouse racking system.

Some export pallets are made with tapered feet that allow a number ofthe pallets to nest on top of each other and thus to save space when notloaded. However, the hollow feet of these pallets create largediscontinuities in their load decks that detract from the structuralstrength and stability (stiffness) in the regions of the feet.

In some moulded pallets, ribs are provided in the pallet's structure,especially under its load deck, to improve the strength of the pallet,especially its bending strength.

However, in order to de-mould the pallet after moulding it, the mouldshave to be made with draft angles and the result is that the ribs havetapered cross-sectional profiles that are wider at one end than theopposite end. These tapered profiles do not provide optimal strength,require additional material to be used in the pallet and thus add to thecost of the pallets.

There is often a requirement that pallets on which goods aretransported, should be capable of being stacked and/or racked at thelocation where they are received, and accordingly, instead of thepallets on which the goods are despatched being designed only to servethe purposes of handling and bearing the loads of the goods during thejourney, the pallets also need to be designed to have the additionalproperties allowing them to be used in warehousing systems or the like.The result is that goods that can be transported on light duty palletsare transported on heavy duty pallets, which cost more to manufactureand which have increased transport costs both while empty (before and/oruse) and when loaded.

There is often a need for storage bins that can be lifted with the forksof conventional lifting devices (e.g. fork lift trucks, jacks, automatedwarehouse systems, or the like), but that has upright walls to define abin in which goods can be held. Bins of this type are in use, whicheffectively comprise conventional timber pallets with upright timberwalls. These pallet bins are heavy, expensive and environmentallyunfriendly because of their timber construction and because they occupyvery large storage volumes when they are empty. Similar pallet bins havebeen made from plastics materials, but they suffer from the samedisadvantages—they need to be heavily engineered to be strong enough towithstand loads and are thus heavy and expensive and while they do notcause deforestation, their weight causes an increase on the energyrequirements when transporting these pallet bins.

In an attempt to reduce the excessive space requirements when storing ortransporting the pallet bins described above, partly or whollycollapsible pallet bins have been developed with walls that areremovably attachable to each other, e.g. with clips and/or walls thatare removably attachable to the pallet. The mechanisms for attachingthese walls to one another typically require clips that are easily lostor parts that are integrally formed with the walls, that need to clip,slide, etc. together, but these mechanisms are prone to damage or lossof accessories and as a result, existing collapsible pallet bins areunsatisfactory.

In order to make optimal use of available storage space, pallet binsoften need to be stacked, with upper pallet bins supported by the wallsof lower pallet bins. In order to provide sufficient strength in thewalls of the pallet bins to carry the weight of the pallet bins abovethem, the walls are made with a heavy, durable construction—with thedisadvantages mentioned above. Pallet bins with collapsible walls areeither even heavier or lack the strength to allow stacking.

The present invention seeks to addressing the shortfalls mentionedabove, including providing cost effective, light weight pallets withgood load carrying abilities, providing convenient and cost effectiveuse of pallets by reducing the weight of pallets during transportation,while maintaining the structural properties of the pallets to bearstatic and dynamic loads, to be capable of stacking and racking, and thelike, and to provide a pallet system including detachable fittings thatcan be added to pallets.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided apallet comprising a main body, said main body comprising:

-   -   a load deck with a generally planar load surface; and    -   a plurality of spaced-apart feet protruding from the load deck        on a side that is opposite from the load surface, said feet        including at least one corner foot in each of four corner        regions of the body;    -   wherein    -   said load deck has an open construction defining a plurality of        cavities and webs extending at least partly between adjacent        cavities;    -   said feet being hollow and tapering, such that the feet of one        such body are partly receivable inside the feet of another such        body in a nesting manner;    -   said pallet having a weight of less than 40 pounds, preferably        less than 30 pounds; and    -   said pallet being made of fibre reinforced material.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided apallet comprising a main body, said main body comprising:

-   -   a load deck with a generally planar load surface, said load deck        defining a plurality of cavities that are each open on at least        one side and said load deck including a plurality of webs        extending at least partly between adjacent cavities; and    -   a plurality of spaced-apart feet protruding from the load deck        on a side that is opposite from the load surface, said feet        including at least one corner foot in each of four corner        regions of the body, the feet serving as supports to keep the        load deck elevated and the spaces between the feet providing        access for inserting lifting devices underneath the load deck;    -   wherein at least some of the webs extend at an obtuse angle        relative to the load deck and at least some of said webs define        apertures between an upper edge and a lower edge of each such        web.

The term “elevated” means that the load deck is at a higher elevationthan a surface on which the pallet is supported, when in an uprightorientation. The construction of a part of the pallet with a pluralityof cavities that are open on at least one side, is referred to herein asan “open” structure.

The load deck may have a depth of more than 20 mm, preferably about 36mm.

The load deck may include flanges extending generally co-planar with theload surface and the flanges may extend from upper edges of the webs ofthe load deck and define apertures in the load deck, between adjacentwebs, in which inserts may be receivable.

The load deck may define an under surface that extends generallyparallel to the load surface, between the feet and the load deck mayinclude flanges extending generally co-planar with the under surface.The flanges extend from lower edges of the webs of the load deck and maydefine apertures in the load deck, between adjacent webs, which couldassist in withstanding impact from lifting devices such as forks.

The main body may be made of a fibre reinforced polymeric material andmay weigh less than 44 lbs and in one preferred embodiment, the loadsurface may have dimensions of about 40×48 inches as the pallet mayweigh less than 35 lbs. In addition to the fibre reinforcement, thepolymeric material may include supporting additives.

Each of the feet may be of a hollow construction with tapering walls,such that the feet of one such body are partly receivable inside thefeet of another such body in a nesting manner.

The pallet may further include an accessory and one or more of thecorner feet may define one or more first attachment formation that isattachable to the accessory of the pallet, such that the accessoryextends at least between the attachment formations of the corner feet,e.g. in the form of a cruciform, picture frame, or both.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided apallet comprising a main body, said main body comprising:

a load deck with a generally planar load surface, said load deckdefining a plurality of cavities that are each open on at least one sidewith webs extending at least partly between adjacent cavities; anda plurality of spaced-apart feet protruding from the load deck on a sidethat is opposite from the load surface, said feet including at least onecorner foot in each of four corner regions of the body, the feet servingas supports to keep the load deck elevated and the spaces between thefeet providing access for inserting lifting devices underneath the loaddeck, each of said feet being of a hollow construction with taperingwalls, such that the feet of one such body are partly receivable insidethe feet of another such body in a nesting manner;wherein each foot defines at least one tapered recess extending from thebottom of the foot, towards the load deck.

One or more of the recesses may extend from the bottom of its associatedfoot to the vicinity of the load deck and the foot may includes astructure, e.g. a structure in the form of a cross member, that isgenerally aligned with the load deck and that spans the recess.

The body may be dimensioned such that, when an upper such body is nestedon top of a lower such a body, the underside of the structures spanningthe load recesses of the upper body's feet, rests in abutment on theload surface of the lower body, such that the abutment between saidstructures of the upper and lower bodies prevent the feet of the upperbody from entering the insides of the feet of the lower body beyond apredetermined extent.

The pallet may include nine feet or more, including the four cornerfeet, and each of the corner feet may have at least one of said recessesthat divides the corner foot into at least two pillars. Preferably, eachof the nine feet may have such a recess that divides the foot into twoor more pillars, such that the pallet has at least eighteen of thesepillars and more preferably, each of the nine feet has such a recessthat divides the foot into four pillars, such that the pallet has thirtysix of these pillars.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provideda pallet comprising a main body and an accessory, the main body definingan open load deck with a plurality of cavities that are each open on atleast one side, said load deck defining a generally planar load surfaceand a plurality of spaced-apart feet protruding from the body on a sidethat is opposite from the load surface, said feet including at least onecorner foot in each of four corner regions of the body, the feet servingas supports to keep the load deck elevated and the spaces between thefeet providing access for inserting lifting devices underneath the loaddeck; wherein each of the feet is of a hollow construction with taperingwalls, such that the feet of one such body are partly receivable insidethe feet of another such body in a nesting manner and wherein eachcorner foot defines at least one first attachment formation that isattachable to the accessory of the pallet, such that the accessoryextends at least between the attachment formations of the corner feet;

wherein said accessory is also of an open construction, defining aplurality of cavities that are each open on at least one side.

Feet recesses may be defined in undersides of the feet and accessoryprotuberances may be defined on the accessory so that the accessoryprotuberances are receivable in the feet recesses, at least in part.

Each of the accessory protuberances may be of a hollow construction withtapering walls, such that the accessory protuberances of one suchaccessory are partly receivable inside the accessory protuberances ofanother such accessory in a nesting manner.

The accessory may include a plurality of second attachment formationsthat are attachable to the first attachment formations on at least someof the feet and the accessory may define a plurality of accessoryrecesses in which the feet are receivable, at least in part, with thesecond attachment formations being disposed inside the accessoryrecesses, where they are protected against damage.

The accessory may define at least one beam extending between two or moreof the feet when the accessory is attached to the feet and the beam maybe of an open construction defining a plurality of cavities that areeach open on at least one side.

The accessory may define at least one beam extending between two or moreof the feet when the accessory is attached to the feet, and theaccessory may be dimensioned such that, when an upper such accessory isnested on top of a lower such accessory, the undersides of the upperaccessory's beams rest in abutment on the beams of the lower accessory,such that the abutment between the beams of the upper and loweraccessories prevent the upper body from entering the accessory recessesof the lower accessory beyond a predetermined extent.

The attachment formations of the pallet may be releasable and mayinclude clip formations and the pallet may define release aperturesthrough which a release element can be inserted to release the clipformations.

The pallet may define a plurality of apertures in a top surface of itsload deck, in an underside of its load deck, on upper sides of thebeams, and/or on undersides of the beams, in which inserts arereceivable. The pallet may include a plurality of these inserts that arereceivable in the apertures, each insert being of a slip resistantmaterial.

The pallet may include at least one corner sleeve that can be attachedto a foot of the main body by extending around at least part of thefoot, the corner sleeve being held captive on the foot between theaccessory and the load deck, when the accessory is attached to the firstattachment formations.

The pallet's load deck may include a solid peripheral edge adjacent atleast some of its cavities and an edge insert or a deck extensionaccessory may be releasably attachable to the edge, with grip formationssuch as hook formations and/or clip formations gripping the edge. Theedge insert may include a protuberance or ridge that protrudes above theload deck and the deck extension accessory may extend in alignment withthe load deck, from the edge of the load deck.

The pallet may include a plurality of wheels that are releasablyattachable to the pallet and each of the wheels may be rotatablysupported in an adaptor, which is attachable to the pallet in a clippingmanner, e.g. the adaptor may be attachable to the underside of a foot ofthe main body, or to the accessory.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is providedapparatus for the handling of goods, said apparatus comprising:

-   -   a pallet body defining a load deck and feet protruding from an        underside of the load deck;    -   a plurality of walls, each wall defining a first edge, which        forms a top edge in use, a second edge, opposite from the first        edge and which forms a bottom edge in use, and third and fourth        edges that form lateral edges in use;    -   pivotal attachment means holding the lateral edges of adjacent        walls together in a pivoting side-by-side arrangement, with a        pivot axis extending generally along the attached lateral edges;    -   deck attachment formations disposed along the periphery of the        load deck; and    -   wall attachment formations disposed along the bottom edges of        the walls, said wall attachment formations being releasably        receivable in the deck attachment formations.

The load deck of the pallet body may be rectangular and the apparatusmay include six walls, including two rigid walls that are configured toextend along the length of opposing edges of the load deck when attachedto the load deck, with the four remaining walls forming two pairs, eachpair being configured to extend along the length of one of the loaddeck's edges, between the rigid walls. The walls may include six cornerswhere the side edges of the adjacent walls are pivotally connectedtogether by the pivot attachment means and the pivot attachment meansmay be configured to allow each of the pairs of walls to pivot inwardly,towards the other of said pairs of walls.

Each wall may be of a construction comprising an array of webs definingcavities between them, each cavity having a large opening on one side ofthe wall and a shape that tapers towards a smaller opening on theopposing side of the wall, and adjacent cavities being disposed withtheir large openings on opposing sides of the wall. Each cavity may havea flange that extends around its small opening and that is integrallyformed with the webs.

The deck attachment formations may include a plurality of recessesdefined in the load deck and the wall attachment formations may includeprotuberances extending from the bottom edge of the wall, saidprotuberances being receivable the recesses of the deck attachmentformations, preferably in a clipping manner. Instead or in addition, thedeck attachment formations may include an edge of the load deck and thewall attachment formations may include clip formations that can grip theedge of the load deck.

At least some of the walls may include positioning formations on theirupper edges, that are configured to receive the underside of the apallet body when stacked above the walls.

The pallet may include a lid that is pivotably attached to one of thewalls.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention there isprovided a process for manufacturing a pallet with a load deck, saidprocess including:

closing two parts of a two-part mould to form a mould cavity;injecting mouldable material into the mould cavity;allowing the mouldable material to solidify to form the pallet; andde-moulding the pallet;wherein the pallet includes a plurality of webs in its load deck, eachweb being oriented at an obtuse angle relative to the load deck, andwherein the two parts of the two-part mould abut in the vicinity of aneutral axis of at least some of said webs, when the mould is closed, todefine an aperture in the web in the vicinity of its neutral axis.

The mouldable material may be a fibre reinforced polymeric material,preferably with supporting additives.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provideda method of using pallets, each of said pallets comprising a pallet bodydefining a load deck and feet protruding from an underside of the loaddeck, said method comprising:

-   -   transporting a first such a pallet body from a first location to        a second location;    -   keeping a number of accessories at said second location, each        such accessory being attachable to the underside of the feet of        such a pallet body, to extend between at least some of the feet        of the pallet body and provide structural support to the pallet        body;    -   supporting said first pallet body on such an accessory at the        second location;    -   using said first pallet body and its supporting accessory at the        second location;    -   removing the first pallet body from its supporting accessory;        and    -   despatching the first pallet body from the second location.

The term “supported” is not intended to be limited to the bearing ofweight, i.e. it does not merely refer to “carrying”, but has a widermeaning of imparting structural strength and/or stiffness.

The first pallet body may be supported on its supporting accessory byattaching the accessory to the feet of the first pallet body, or theaccessory may be attached to a second such pallet body and the firstpallet body may be received on top of the second pallet body while atthe second location, to be supported at least in part, by the accessoryattached to the second pallet body. The first pallet body and the secondpallet body may be nestable, and the method may include nesting the feetof the first pallet body in the second pallet body while at the secondlocation, to hold the first pallet body in position on the second palletbody.

At least some of the accessories may have wheels and the method mayinclude moving the pallet body and its supporting accessory at thesecond location, by rolling the accessory on its wheels.

The term “wheel” is intended to include any variation of rolling elementsupport and thus includes rollers, castors, or the like.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided amethod of using pallets, each of said pallets comprising a pallet bodydefining a load deck and feet protruding from an underside of the loaddeck, said method comprising:

-   -   transporting a first such a pallet body from a first location to        a second location;    -   keeping a number of wheeled pallet bodies at said second        location, each such wheeled pallet body comprising a pallet body        defining a load deck and feet protruding from an underside of        the load deck, with wheels attached to the undersides of at        least some of its feet;    -   supporting said first pallet body on such a wheeled pallet body        at the second location;    -   using said first pallet body and its supporting wheeled pallet        body at the second location;    -   removing the first pallet body from its supporting wheeled        pallet body; and    -   despatching the first pallet body from the second location.

The first pallet body and the wheeled pallet body may be nestable, andthe method may include nesting the feet of the first pallet body in thewheeled pallet body while at the second location, to hold the firstpallet body in position on the wheeled pallet body. The first palletbody may be releasably attached to the wheeled pallet body.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provideda method of using pallets, each of said pallets comprising a pallet bodydefining a load deck and feet protruding from an underside of the loaddeck, said method comprising:

-   -   transporting a first such a pallet body from a first location to        a second location;    -   keeping a number of accessories at said second location, each        such accessory being attachable to the underside of the feet of        such a pallet body, to extend between at least some of the feet        of the pallet body and provide structural support to the pallet        body, with wheels attached to the underside of at the accessory;    -   supporting said first pallet body on such a wheeled accessory at        the second location;    -   using said first pallet body and its supporting wheeled        accessory at the second location;    -   removing the first pallet body from its supporting wheeled        accessory; and    -   despatching the first pallet body from the second location.

The first pallet body may be nestable in a second pallet body defining aload deck and feet protruding from an underside of the load deck, withthe feet of the first pallet body being receivable inside the feet ofthe second pallet body in a nesting manner, and the method may includeattaching the second pallet body to the wheeled accessory and supportingthe first pallet body by receiving it on top of the second pallet body,in nesting fashion.

The method may include transporting and/or storing goods on the firstpallet body during transportation of the first pallet body from thefirst location to the second location, during use of the first palletbody at the second location, and/or during despatch of the first palletbody from the second location.

According to yet a further aspect of the present invention there isprovided a method for providing pallets for the handling of goods, saidmethod comprising:

-   -   providing a pallet body defining an open load deck defining a        plurality of cavities that are each open on at least one side,        said load deck having a generally planar load surface and a        plurality of spaced-apart feet protruding from the body on a        side that is opposite from the load surface, said feet including        at least one corner foot in each of four corner regions of the        body, the feet serving as supports to keep the load deck        elevated and the spaces between the feet providing access for        inserting lifting devices underneath the load deck;    -   loading goods onto the load deck of the pallet body;    -   transporting the pallet body with the goods loaded on top of it;        and    -   attaching an accessory to the feet of the pallet body such that        the accessory extends at least between the four corner feet in a        manner such that the accessory is spaced from the load deck.

The load deck of the pallet body may include a plurality of websextending at least partly between adjacent cavities, at least some ofthe webs extending at an obtuse angle relative to the load deck and atleast some of these webs defining apertures between an upper edge and alower edge of each such web.

The method may include supporting the pallet on opposing sides in aracking system, after attaching the accessory to the feet of the pallet.

The method may include off-loading the goods before attaching theaccessory to the feet of the pallet body.

The method may include an additional step of releasing the attachment ofthe accessory from the feet of the pallet body and may further includere-attaching the accessory to the feet of the pallet body.

Each of the pallet body's feet may be of a hollow construction withtapering walls and the method may include the step of transporting aplurality of the pallet bodies in a nesting arrangement, with the feetof one such body partly received inside the feet of another such body ina nesting manner, before loading the pallet body with goods.

Each of the pallet body's feet may be of a hollow construction withtapering walls and the method may include the step of transporting aplurality of the pallet bodies in a nesting arrangement, with the feetof one such body partly received inside the feet of another such body ina nesting manner, after the goods have been off-loaded and before theaccessories are attached to the main bodies.

The goods to be transported on the pallet body may include a polymer andthe method may include manufacturing the pallet body at the locationfrom where the goods are to be transported, using polymer supplied by asender seeking to transport the polymer.

The method may include repeatedly using the pallet after attaching theaccessory to the feet of the pallet body and the method may includerenting out the pallet as part of a pool of pallets, after attaching theaccessory to the main body.

The method may include removably attaching one or more deck extensionaccessory to one or more edges of the load deck of the pallet body. Inone embodiment, the load deck has a size of about 40×48 inches and theload surface of the pallet is increased to 52×44 inches with theaddition of the deck extension accessory.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show how thesame may be carried into effect, the invention will now be described byway of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawingsin which:

FIG. 1A is a three-dimensional view of a pallet in accordance with thepresent invention, from above;

FIG. 1B is a three-dimensional view of the pallet of FIG. 1A, frombelow;

FIG. 1C is a top plan view of the pallet of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1D is a side view of the pallet of FIG. 1A:

FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional view of a main body of the pallet of FIG.1A;

FIG. 3 is a detail view of a corner of the main body of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a three-dimensional view of a plurality of the bodies of FIG.2, stacked in a nesting arrangement;

FIG. 5 is a three-dimensional view of an accessory of the pallet of FIG.1A;

FIG. 6 is a detail view of a corner of the accessory of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a three-dimensional view of a plurality of the accessories ofFIG. 5, stacked in a nesting arrangement;

FIGS. 8A and 8B are sectional views through part of the pallet of FIG.1A, taken at VIII-VIII, showing the engagement and attachment betweenthe main body of FIG. 2 and the accessory of FIG. 5. In FIG. 8A, theparts are shown shortly before the engagement and in FIG. 8B they areshown in engagement;

FIGS. 9A and 9B are sectional views through part of the pallet of FIG.1A, taken at IX-IX, showing the engagement and attachment between themain body of FIG. 2 and the accessory of FIG. 5. In FIG. 9A, the partsare shown shortly before the engagement and in FIG. 9B they are shown inengagement;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view through part of a deck of the pallet of FIG.1A, showing two inserts received in recesses of the deck;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a first embodiment of an identificationtag being fitted in a foot of the pallet of FIG. 1A;

FIGS. 12A and 12B are an exploded side view and a sectional side view ofa second embodiment of an identification tag being fitted in a foot ofthe main body of the pallet of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 13 is a plan view of an alternative embodiment of a corner of theaccessory of the pallet of FIG. 1A;

FIGS. 14A and 14B are sectional side views at XIV-XIV of the accessoryof FIG. 13, showing an exploded view and an assembly, respectively, ofan identification tag being fitted in the corner of the accessory;

FIG. 15 is a three-dimensional view of a deck extension accessory foruse with the pallet of FIG. 1A;

FIGS. 16A and 16B are detail sectional views of parts of the main bodyof the pallet of FIG. 1A, fitted with the deck extension accessory ofFIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a three-dimensional view of an edge insert for use with thepallet of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 18 is a detail sectional view of part of the main body of thepallet of FIG. 1A, fitted with the edge insert of FIG. 17:

FIG. 19 is a three-dimensional view of a corner sleeve of the pallet ofFIG. 1A;

FIGS. 20A and 20B are detail sectional views through part of the loaddeck of the pallet of FIG. 1A, shown in FIG. 20A inside a two-part mouldand shown in FIG. 20B after de-moulding;

FIG. 21 is a three-dimensional view of a pillar insert;

FIG. 22 is a top view of the pillar insert of FIG. 21;

FIG. 23 is an oblique side view of the pillar insert of FIG. 21;

FIG. 24 is a top three-dimensional view of a corner of a pallet, withpillar inserts inside its pillars;

FIG. 25 is a side view of a corner of a pallet with pillar inserts and amain body of FIG. 2 supported on top of the pillar inserts;

FIG. 26 is a three-dimensional view of a castor insert for the main bodyof FIG. 2;

FIG. 27 is a three-dimensional view of a castor insert for the accessoryof FIG. 5;

FIG. 28 is a three-dimensional view of walls of a first embodiment of apallet bin in accordance with the present invention, in a partly foldedcondition;

FIG. 29 is a three-dimensional view of the walls of FIG. 28, in a fullyfolded condition;

FIG. 30 is a three-dimensional view of the walls of FIG. 29, placedalong an edge of a pallet body of the pallet bin in accordance with thepresent invention, the walls being spaced above the pallet body;

FIG. 31 is a three-dimensional view of the walls and pallet body of FIG.30, with the walls in a partly opened condition;

FIG. 32 is a three-dimensional view of the walls and pallet body of FIG.30, with the walls in a fully opened condition;

FIG. 33 is a detail three-dimensional view of a corner of a pallet binin accordance with the present invention, comprising the walls andpallet body of FIG. 32;

FIG. 34 is a front view of the pallet bin of FIG. 32;

FIG. 35 is a side view of the pallet bin of FIG. 32;

FIG. 36 is a three-dimensional view of two of the pallet bins of FIG.32, stacked on top of each other.

FIG. 37 is a three-dimensional view of walls and lid of a secondembodiment of a pallet bin in accordance with the present invention, ina partly folded condition;

FIG. 38 is a three-dimensional view of a pallet bin, including the mainpallet body of FIG. 2 and the walls of FIG. 37, in a fully foldedcondition;

FIG. 39 is a three-dimensional view of the pallet bin of FIG. 38, withthe walls in a fully opened condition and with the lid closed; and

FIG. 40 is a three-dimensional view of four of the pallet bins of FIG.39, stacked on top of one another.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring to the drawings, a pallet in accordance with the presentinvention is generally indicated by reference numeral 10, whereas a mainbody of the pallet is generally indicated by reference numeral 12 and abottom accessory of the pallet is generally indicated by referencenumeral 14. For the sake of simplicity, the main body 12 is alsoreferred to as the “top” and the accessory 14 as the “bottom”.

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 4, the main body (top) 12 can be made of anysuitably light, strong and durable material, but is preferably a unitarymoulding of reinforced polymeric material and it includes a load deck 16and nine feet 18 protruding from the underside of the load deck. The topof the load deck 16 defines a generally planar load surface 20 and theunderside of the deck defines an under-surface 22 that is continuousbetween the feet 18. The feet 18 are disposed at the corners, mid-wayalong the edges and in the centre of the load deck 16. In otherembodiments, the top 12 may include feet 18 disposed only in its fourcorner regions or optionally also a central foot.

The deck 16 is made up of a continuous lattice of webs and flanges thatdefine an array of cube-like cavities 24, each defining a rectangularrecess or aperture 26 that is surrounded by a rectangular flange orframe. The alternate cavities 24 have apertures 26 that are disposed inthe load surface 20 and in the under-surface 22 of the load deck 16. Theunder-surface 22 is bevelled towards the load surface, around theperiphery of the load deck 16. The load deck 16 has a depth that is morethan 20 mm and that is preferably about 36 mm.

Each foot 18 is hollow and has tapering outer walls 28 that give it agenerally octagonal profile. Each foot defines a foot recess 30 in itscentre, surrounded by tapered inner walls 32. Further, each foot 18 hasfour recesses 34 extending upwards from its bottom 36, so that the foothas four angled pillars 38, each defined between the inner walls 32,outer walls 28 and two recesses 34. At the bottom of each pillar 38,there is a first attachment formation in the form of a rectangularaperture 40.

The hollow construction of each foot 18, together with the angledstructure of its inner and outer walls 32,28 allows the feet of one body(top) 12 to be received in a nesting manner inside the hollow insides ofthe feet of another body 12 below it, when the bodies are stacked on topof one another, as shown in FIG. 4. In the nested condition, theunderside 22 of the load deck 16 of the body 12 above rests against theload surface 20 of the body below it, and this abutment of the loaddecks prevents the feet 18 of the upper body from entering the insidesof the feet of the lower body too far and thus prevents the feet fromgetting stuck in the nesting arrangement as result of a taper lock.

As can be seen in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the body (top) 12 includes a crossmember 41 that is generally aligned with the load deck and spans thefoot recess 30, between the inner walls 32 of the foot 18. The crossmember 41 serves to carry tensile loads on the inside of the foot 18, toresist deformation of the foot in racking or stacking with a heavy loadon the pallet. In some preferred embodiments, the cross member 41 has adeeper profile than the load deck 16, but with the top of the crossmember aligned with the load surface 20, this means that the bottom ofthe cross member extends lower than the under surface 22 and as aresult, when the bodies 12 are nested, the bottom of the cross member ofthe upper body 12 rests on the top of the cross member of the lower body12 and this abutment of the cross members 41 prevent the pillars 18 ofthe bodies 12 from entering too deeply into each other.

Referring to FIGS. 5 to 7, the accessory (bottom) 14 can also be made ofany suitably light, strong and durable material, but is preferably aunitary moulding of reinforced polymeric material. It is generallyrectangular and has nine “second” attachment formations 42, disposed atits corners, midway along its sides and at its centre. The size of thebottom accessory 14 corresponds to that of the load deck 16 and thepositions of the attachment formations 42 correspond with those of thefeet 18.

The bottom accessory 14 includes outer beams 44 that extend betweenattachment formations 42 disposed at the corners and midway along thesides of the accessory, to form a rectangular structure (referred to inthe art as a “picture frame”), as well as inner beams 46 that extendfrom the central attachment formation to each of the attachmentformations midway along the sides, to form a cross structure (referredto in the art as a “cruciform”). The construction of each of the beams44,46 is very similar to that of the load deck 16, with a continuouslattice of webs and flanges defining cavities 24, with apertures 26 onthe top and bottom of each beam and with a bevelled edge. However, thedepth of the beams 44,46 is substantially less than that of the loaddeck 16, making the load deck better suited to bear bending loads, butthe beams suited to bear tensile loads.

Each of the attachment formations 42 defines a generally octagonalaccessory recess 48 and an upstanding hollow accessory protuberance 50in the centre of the recess. The walls of the protuberance 50 are angledand define steps 52, so that each corner region of the recess 48 canreceive the lower end of a pillar 38 of its corresponding foot 18 in asnug manner between the walls of the recess 48 and protuberance 50 andthe steps 52.

At each corner of each recess 48, a second attachment formation isprovided in the form of a pair of resilient clips 54 with barbs facingoutwards. In the illustrated embodiment, the upper ends of the clips 54protrude above the upper surfaces of the adjacent outer beams 44, but insome preferred embodiments, the depths of the beams and the lengths ofthe clips are selected so that the clips do not protrude above the uppersurfaces of the beams 44,46 at all.

Like in the case of the top body 12, the bottom accessory 14 can bestacked to form a nested stack of accessories as shown in FIG. 7. Thehollow construction of the protuberance 50 and its tapering walls allowsthe protuberance of a lower one of the accessories to be received insidethe protuberance of an accessory immediately above it, in a nestingarrangement. Like in the case of the top body 12, the bottom accessory14 is shaped and configured such that the undersides of its beams 44,46rest on top of the upper surfaces of the beams of the accessory belowit, when nested, without the protuberance 50 of the lower accessoryextending too far into the protuberance of the top accessory. In someembodiments, part of the upper bottom accessory 14 may extend into therecess 48 of the lower bottom accessory, when nested, but the extent towhich this can happen is limited by the abutment of the beams 44,46 toprevent any part of the upper accessory from damaging the clips 54.

Referring to the lattice structure of the load deck 16 and beams 44,46:The load deck 16 has an even thickness throughout and has a uniformsupport capacity and the load surface 20 and under surface 22 areuniformly the same strength right through the deck, which allows forbetter handling of uneven loads on top of the deck. Further, the loaddeck 16 is easily washable it includes no closed cavities 24, but hasopenings in its load surface 20 and under surface 22 (apart from thefeet 18). This feature also allows air or water to flow easily throughthe whole pallet 10, which allows much better cooling and temperaturecontrol with reduced energy requirements when transporting the palletsin trucks or transport containers (e.g. in a “cold chain”). The improvedcontrol of air flow throughout the pallet 10 and fruit and otherperishable products packed on the load deck 16, allows the pallets andtheir loads to be cooled more effectively and efficiently. There is thusalso less wasted product because quicker ripening and other hightemperature problems can be avoided. Further, better cooling and/ortemperature control during transport of fresh produce on the pallet 10allows longer shelf lives of the produce, when sold in retail. Theeffective cooling characteristics of the pallet 10 allows for directcontainerisation, eliminating the requirements for pre-cooling in coldstorage before shipment. Fruit can now be shipped immediately and reachthe destined markets earlier and ensure a longer shelf life.

The construction of the pallet 10 from polymeric (plastic) material alsohas the advantage of inhibiting or preventing mould or bacteriaformation on the pallet, as is often found with wooden pallets, becauseof wood impurities. The plastic material can also be made resistant tobacteria, mould, etc., which again contributes to longer shelf life ofproduce transported on the pallet 10. Moisture in wood contributes tocondensation in closed containers and causes and promotes productdamage, fungus, mould and mildew growth as well as metal oxidation. Theuse of polymeric material also eliminates the presence of any additionalmoisture source in the container normally associated with un-dried orinsufficiently dried timber.

The uniform structure of the deck 16 also prevents fork lift blades fromentering the deck from below (through human error) at any ribs, planksnot properly joined to the pallet, etc.—as in the case of prior artpallets.

The top body 12 and bottom accessory 14 are formed in separate mouldswhere the molten polymer enters the mould cavities through the middlefoot 18 or middle attachment formation 42, as the case may be, through alarge gate. The purpose of the large gate is to keep the fibres in thepolymer long to achieve good mechanical properties for the weight of thepolymer matrix. The polymer matrix can include glass fibre and otheradditives such as UV resistors colorants, additives for compatabilizingdifferent polymers, fire retardants that assist in compliance with theUL 2335 specifications, reinforcing particles, fillers, etc. Evenanti-bacterial additives can be provided should it be required. Thereare many other additives that could be used in the formulation shouldthere be a requirement. By injecting the polymer through a singleinjection point, the formation of weld lines can be controlled and thereis the freedom to cool the mould in such a way that, even if weld linesare formed, they are strong because the temperature of the polymer onopposing sides of the welds are within 5% of one each other. The mouldcan also be designed so that the polymer flows into the mould in such away that the welds meet mainly in the feet of the pallet.

As an alternative to moulding from a single, large gate, the body 12 oraccessory 14 can be moulded through multiple gates, e.g. a central gateand four spaced apart gates, all built into the mould and shutting offthe mould cavity at the bounding wall of the mould, with mouldablematerial fed to each gate from a hot runner system.

The material properties of long glass fibre with polyolefins in a matrixgive lower creep and thermal expansion values that are even better thanaluminium and magnesium and are very close to thermal expansion valuesof steel, but the glass fibre must be longer than 10 mm if used inpolypropylene and more than 20% by weight of glass fibre is required.The glass fibres are inert to fire and costly fire retardant additivesonly need to be provided for the polymer portion of the material. Thematerial as described herein is thermally stable in temperatures rangingbetween −20 degrees C. and 40 degrees C.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, when the body 12 and bottom accessory 14 areto be attached together, each foot 18 is attached to its correspondingattachment formation 42 and at the same time:

-   the lower ends of the foot's pillars 38 are received inside the    recess 48 of the attachment formation 42;-   each foot's protuberance 50 is received inside the recess 30 of the    attachment formation (in the illustrated embodiment, the    protuberance 50 extends about one third into the depth/height of the    recess 30);-   the outer walls 28 of the feet 18 abut outer walls of the recess 48;-   outer walls of the protuberance 50 abut the inner walls 32 of the    foot; and-   each pair of the clips 54 engage the aperture 40 of its    corresponding pillar 38 in a clipping manner.

The engagement between the foot 18 and its attachment formation 42 canbear downwards compressive loads because the bottoms 36 of the pillars38 simply press against the bottom of the recess 48. The engagement canalso bear shear loading, i.e. side-to-side forces acting on either thebody 12 or the bottom accessory 14, by the walls of the pillars 38pressing against the walls from the recess 48 and the walls of theprotuberance 50 pressing against the walls of the recess 30.Accordingly, the only forces that the engagement of the clips 54 in theapertures 40, need to bear, are vertical forces that seek to pull thebody and the accessory apart. These forces are borne in the clips 54 astensile forces and the clips are thus not exposed to significant shearor bending forces during normal use and are only exposed to mild bendingforces during engagement or disengagement of the body 12 and the bottomaccessory 14.

The hollow inside of each pillar 38 forms a release aperture 56 in whichan appropriately shaped device can be inserted from above, to pressagainst bevelled edges 58 of the clips 54, to press the clips closertogether and thus release the engagement of the clips with the aperture40. The bottom accessory 14 can thus be removed from the body 12, ifrequired, and can be re-fitted to the same or another body. This allowsinter-changeability of the bodies 12 and accessories 14 to allow easymaintenance of the pallet 10 by replacing a damaged body 12 or bottomaccessory 14.

The outside dimensions of the load deck 16 and of the bottom accessory14 are about the same and this differs from other pallets with nestableupper parts. Further, the beams 44,46 of the bottom accessory 14 covermore than 55% and typically 65% of the area of the underside of thepallet 10.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 9, in use, the main body 12 can serve thepurpose of a pallet that need not be stacked or racked and that need notbear heavy duty, although in practical experimentation, it has beenfound that the strength of the top body 12 is sufficient to bear theloads required during stacking and/or racking. In particular, a typicalexample of the top body 12 can bear static loads of about 1375 kg (whiletransporting on a lifting fork) and can bear static loads exceeding4,000 kg. The body 12 also only deflects to a maximum of 17 mm whensupported on opposing edges (e.g. in a racking system), under a load of1.375 kg. The low deflection of the body 12 allows it to be used inracks without the accessory 14, thus allowing space underneath the loaddeck 16 for movement of automated warehousing equipment.

Further, the body 12 on its own is quite light in weight and can benested. The weight of the main body 12 is less than 40 pounds,preferably less than 30 pounds and typically about 8 kg (17.6 pounds)and is significantly less than any existing nesting pallet that can dothe same duty as that of a one-way wooden pallet. The body 12 can thusbe used on its own to receive a load on its load deck and can be used totransport that load, with the advantages of the light weight of thebody. Further, the body 12 can be transported in a cost-effective mannerto the location where it is to be loaded, by nesting the bodies togetherduring transportation and thus saving space.

In some cases, the benefits of using the body 12 to transport loads areeven greater, if they can be produced at the location from whereproducts are to be transported. In particular, in the chemical industry,where very large quantities of polymer material products need to betransported on pallets from the polymer suppliers to their customers,polymers from the suppliers can be used to manufacture the bodies 12 atthe site from where the polymer material products are to be transported.Similarly, in the cases of manufacturers of suitable reinforcing fibres(e.g. glass fibres), glass fibres from the manufacturers can be used tomanufacture the bodies 12.

The cost of manufacturing the bodies 12 at the site from where productsare to be despatched or manufacturing the bodies elsewhere andtransporting them to the site, is much lower than the cost of currentpractices of transporting conventional wooden pallets to the site, incomplete form.

Further, there are savings in transport costs because the low weight ofthe body 12 allows more product to be transported in a load, withoutincreasing the overall weight of the load. E.g. one extra 25 kg bag ofpolymer product can be carried on every top body 12 (weighing about 8kg), which is capable of serving the same function as a conventionalwooden pallet weighing about 42 kg. By adding the extra bags of polymerto each pallet load, up to 800 kg of additional product can betransported in each payload, without additional payload costs. When thebodies are transported without load (whether to depots, distributors,retailers, washing depots, or the like), at least half the transportcost is saved because more than twice the number of bodies 12 can betransported (in the nested configuration described above) for the samevolume and weight of conventional wooden pallets (assembled with nails).These transport savings reduce the energy required for transport, whichresults in substantial benefits in reducing carbon emissions. Inaddition, the pallet 10 holds the environmental advantages that it doesnot lead to deforestation as in the case of wooden pallets and thematerials of which the pallet 10 are made are recyclable. Thesustainability and environmental benefits are very substantial and allowthe pallets 10 to compete on an economic basis with conventional woodenpallets.

Once the bodies 12 are available at the site from where goods are to betransported, they are loaded by placing the goods on the load surfaces20 and the goods and pallets are transported to their destinations,where the goods are off-loaded. Under normal trading conditions, apallet used to transport the goods up to this point would either havebeen a one-way wooden pallet that would be discarded, or it would havebeen a durable, heavy duty pallet that can be re-used, but that wouldhave had the disadvantages of costly transport up to this stage (becauseof the weight and non-nestability of the pallets). However, the bodies12 of the present invention can be collected after use and can betransported cost-effectively because of their low weight and nestingability and can be re-used.

To the inventor's knowledge: No existing wooden pallet used intransporting products has the ability for its feet to nest. There arehowever plastic pallets that can nest but no existing nesting pallet cancarry more than a 2800 lbs (1270 kg) dynamic weight load. No existingplastic pallet that can compete with the pallet 10 on performance (i.e.in terms of static and dynamic loading capacity, racking with bending,etc.) has the ability for its feet to nest. No existing nesting palletcan simultaneously meet the requirements of “one man lift less than 35lbs” (i.e. the “OSHA requirement”), a racking weight in a 40×48 inchpallet with a height of 5.75 inches, of more than 2800 lbs with safetyof 50% and bending less than 20 mm. However, the pallet 10 separatedinto the main body 12 and bottom accessory 14 has nesting capabilityinsofar as the main bodies are nestable and the bottom accessories arenestable. Pallet 10 meets all these requirements.

The combination of nestability with the load bearing and rackingrequirements is a major breakthrough in the worldwide pallet industry.This was achieved through the material formulation and the design of thepallet 10. When the feet 18 are attached to their correspondingreceiving formations 42, the complete pallet 10 becomes a structuralmember with very low weight i.e. less than 44 lbs.

The fact that the pallet 10 is made in two parts (the body 12 and bottomaccessory 14) and is thus not moulded in a single shot mould (as incases where the top deck and the bottom deck of a pallet are mouldedtogether in a single shot), there is no need to slide cores from thesides of the mould and the moulds are much less complex. A single-shotpallet where the complete pallet is made with the top and bottom decktogether in a unitary moulding can never nest to save transport costs.Such a single-shot pallet also necessarily has more weight because itneeds to be shaped to allow for the moulds to come away from the ribs ina taper design, but the design of the pallet 10 does not require a taperin the rib structure.

The spaces between the feet 18 serve as access for the forks of liftingapparatus such as fork-lift trucks, to lift the bodies 12 (or pallets10), with or without a load.

When the bodies 12 are to be re-used, they can be used as describedabove, or they can be used in the form of a heavy duty pallet 10 whichis capable of stacking, racking and heavy loads, by attaching the bottomaccessory 14 to the body 12 as described above. The bottom accessory 14strengthens the pallet 10 for stacking because the beams 44,46 candistribute the weight of the pallet 10 (and its load) on the load of apallet below it. The bottom accessory 14 allows the pallet 10 to beracked because the beams 44,46 can bear tensile loads, thus increasingthe stiffness of the pallet substantially, against bending or deflectingunder its load. The bottom accessory 14 also enhances the strength ofthe pallet 10 generally by providing a pallet that is stiffer than thebody 12 on its own.

In this formation the complete pallet 10 will preferably weigh less than35 lbs or 16 kg and still satisfy the OSHA requirements in the USA for aone man lift, have a dynamic load capacity exceeding 1.5 metric tonne,have a static load capacity of up to 12 metric tonnes or more and beable to rack more than 1300 kg with deflection of less than 20 mm. Theinventor believes that these properties can be achieved at roomtemperatures of about 23 degrees C., but also in temperatures as low as−20 degrees C. and in temperatures as high as 40 degrees C., or more.

The pallet 10 can thus be used for many purposes once the bottomaccessory 14 has been attached to the body 12, but depending on theintended use of the pallet, it may be preferable to release theattachment of the accessory to the body, e.g. to transport the bodiesand bottom accessories separately in nested (more space efficient)stacks, it may be preferable to use the bodies 12 on their own again, orthe like.

The invention holds the advantage that the provision of the bottomaccessory 14 that can be releasably attached to the body 12, allows thebody to be converted from a light duty (“one-way” or “export”) pallet toa heavy duty (“return” or “pool”) pallet, as required, while theinvention also holds the advantages of economy of space and weight whenthe body 12 and bottom accessory 14 are separate. The design of thepallet 10 further gives it the strength required for most heavy dutyapplications, with a significantly lower cost and weight of the pallet.

As can best be seen in FIG. 1D, the recesses 34 between the pillars 38of the feet 18 form apertures, when the feet 18 are attached to theattachment formations 42. The design of the feet 18 with these aperturesformed by the recesses 34, saves weight and adds structural strength tothe pallet 10.

Referring to FIG. 10, each of the many recesses or apertures 26 canreceive an insert 60 (referred to as a “grommet” in the art) of a slipresistant material. The plurality of apertures 26 allows the number andpositions of grommets 60 to be selected to suit the needs for particularuses of the pallet 10. The number and positions of the grommets 60 canthus be selected for the load surface 20 (to prevent loads from slippingon the pallet), in the undersides of the beams 44,46 (to prevent thepallets from slipping around) as well as in the underside 22 of the loaddeck 16 and/or the top of the beams 44,46 (to prevent unwanted slippageof the pallet relative to the forks of a lifting device).

Referring to FIGS. 11 to 14, the pallet 10 can be fitted withidentification tags, such as RFID tags, to assist in palletidentification.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, a first embodiment of an RFID tag 62is inside a protective cylindrical housing 64 that is fitted to the body12 by inserting it from below into the foot recess 30 and receiving anupper end of the housing in a complementary formation 66 formed on thecross member 41. The lower end of the housing 64 is received in acomplementary aperture in the top of the accessory protuberance 50 andthe housing and tag 62 are kept captive inside the foot 18, where theyare protected by the surrounding structure of the foot. The tag 62 canbe removed easily, when the body 12 and bottom accessory 14 areseparated as described above.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 12A and 12 B, a second embodiment of anRFID tag is a strip that is adhesively attached to a carrier 74 that canbe inserted into the recess 30 and fitted onto the complementaryformation 66, to be held in place by flexible clips 76 that engageapertures defined in the inner walls 32 of the pillars 38. The RFID tagsare thus fitted securely, deep inside the recesses 30, where they areprotected against damage. Further, these tags allow the main body 12 tobe identified, with or without the bottom accessory 14.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 13, 14A and 14B, a third embodiment ofan RFID is a strip that is sealed between two strips of plasticmaterial, to form a strip-shaped RFID device 78. Elongate slots 80 aredefined inside the bottom accessory 14 in which the devices 78 can bereceived. Each slot 80 has retaining barbs 82 on opposing sides of theslot, so that the device 78 can be flexed to fit between the barbs andbe inserted into the slot 80, after which the device straightens onceinside the slot, so that it is held captive by the barbs. The device 78allows the bottom accessory 14 to be identified, with or without a mainbody of the pallet. The position of the device 78, close to theunderside of the bottom accessory 14 reduces the risk of impact from theforks of a lift truck, because the forks are practically always angled(to prevent pallets and/or loads slipping forward when driving), so thatthe forks ends are above the ground and thus higher than the device 78.

The separate RFID tags that can be fitted on the main body 12 (shown inFIGS. 12A and 12B), bottom accessory 14 (shown in FIGS. 13 and 14)and/or the assembled pallet 10 including a main body and accessory(shown in FIG. 11), allows the pallet 10 and/or its component parts12,14 to be tracked together or separately.

Referring to FIGS. 15 and 16, a deck extension accessory 84 is providedthat includes hook formations 70 and clips 72, similar to those of theedge insert 68 shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, that can grip the edge of theload deck 16. In addition, the accessory 84 has longer clips 86 that cangrip the edge of the load deck 16 in areas where it is deeper, e.g. inthe regions of the feet 18 (with the hook formations received in theinsides of the pillars 38, in addition to the recesses 26).

The accessory 84 is configured to extend along two perpendicular edgesof the load deck 16 and has an upper surface that is generally alignedwith the load surface 20 of the load deck, when the accessory has beenfitted. Accordingly, when the accessory is fitted, it engages the edgeof the load deck 16 (with the hooks 70 and clips 72,86) and extends thesize of the load surface 20. The ends 88 of the accessory 84 arebevelled, so that when two accessories are fitted to the body 12, theyincrease the size of the load surface 20 at all four edges of the loaddeck 16.

The effect of fitting the accessories 84 is to increase the load surfaceof the pallet body 12 and the accessories 84 can be removed again, whichmeans that with the use of the accessories, it is possible to alter thesize of the load surface, to suit loading needs.

As mentioned above, in some industries, certain pallet sizes arepreferred to optimise available space, e.g. in the chemical industry, a1.3 m×1.1 m pallet is preferred for one-way shipment of products (or52×44 inch in the USA), because it allows shipping containers andvehicles to be loaded more optimally. However, in other industries, e.g.the transport of fast-moving consumer goods, other sizes (e.g. a 1.2m×1.0 m pallet, or 48×40 inches in the USA) may be the standard thatfits in warehousing systems (which could require racking and/or stackingand which may be automated) etc. These pallet dimensions are merely byway of example and there are many other standard sizes for pallets, butthe principles remain the same—that different sizes of pallets arerequired to meet the different needs of pallet transportation and if apallet is made in any size, it will either not be possible to use it inother applications or its use in other applications will compromise onits performance (in terms of space utilisation, pallet weight, loadcapacity, or the like). However, with the use of the accessory 84, thepallet 10 of the present invention can be used as a larger pallet, whenthe accessories 84 are fitted and can later be used as a smaller pallet,when the accessories 84 are removed—and vice versa. This supplements theability to change the other properties of the pallet 10 by including orexcluding the bottom accessory 14, as described above.

As an example of the versatility the accessories 14,84 provide, thepallet of the present invention can be used as a large, light weight,one-way pallet to distribute products from manufacturers (as ispresently done on wooden pallets that are discarded). Once the productshave been delivered, the pallets 10 can be converted to smaller sizes byremoving the accessories 84 and/or can be given more strength by addingthe accessories 14, as and when required.

The pallet 10's dimensions could be changed to achieve all thestandardised pallet configurations of “CP1” to “CP9” for the chemicalindustry as well as the USA chemical standards of 40×48 inch×5.75 inchhigh, 52×42 inch and 45×45 inch as well as the printing pallet sizes of44×44 inch, 48×42 inch, and 42×42 inch. To the inventor's knowledge,none of the presently available pallets that satisfy these requirementsare nestable.

It is also possible to make the accessory 84 of an impact absorbingmaterial, such as rubber, to protect the load deck 16.

Referring to FIGS. 17 and 18, edge inserts 68 can be fitted to the loaddeck 16 by inserting a hook formation 70 into an aperture 26 of the loaddeck 16, at an edge of the deck and gripping the deck with a clip 72.When the edge insert 68 is received in this manner, it provides anupstanding ridge 73 that protrudes above the load surface 20 to assistin preventing loads from sliding on the load surface 20 or sliding offthe load deck 16.

Referring to FIG. 19, a corner sleeve 90 is shown that can be used withthe pallet 10. The sleeve is made of a suitable durable material,preferably a material that can absorb shocks and protect the pallet,e.g. rubber or a thermoplastic elastomer. The sleeve 90 has an internalcavity 92 that is shaped and dimensioned to fit snugly around a pillar38 of the main body 12 of the pallet and the cavity is open at its topand bottom ends. Two hook formations 70 are provided at the top of thesleeve 90 in a perpendicular arrangement relative to each other. Thehook formations 70 are shaped similarly or identically to those of thedeck extension accessory 84 and the edge insert 68 described above andcan be received in a recess 26 of the load deck 16. At its lower end,the sleeve 90 has two protuberances 94 that are receivable in therecesses 48 of the bottom accessories 14.

The corner sleeve 90 is fitted to a corner of the main body 12 bysliding it over a pillar 38 and clipping the hook formations 70 intorecesses on opposing sides of the load deck's corner. The engagement ofthe sleeve 90 around the pillar 38 and of the hook formations 70 in theapertures 26 hold the sleeve 90 firmly in place on the main body 12,irrespective of whether or not the main body 12 is fitted with a bottomaccessory 14. When a bottom accessory 14 is fitted on the main body 12,the lower end of the pillar 38 (which protrudes below the sleeve 90) isreceived in the recess 48 of the bottom accessory 14 in the normal way,with the protuberances 94 on either side of it.

The sleeve 90 has upper walls 96 that extend around the corner of theload deck 16, has lower walls 98 that extend around the corner of thebottom accessory 14 and has spaced ribs 100 between these walls 96,98.The walls 96,98 and ribs 100 protect the corners of the pallet 10against impact.

Referring to FIGS. 20A and 20B, when manufacturing the main body 12, anupper mould part 102 and a lower mould part 104 are pressed together andmouldable material, preferably molten polymeric material reinforced withlong glass fibres, is injected into the mould cavity of the two-partmould to form the main body. Once the moulded material has solidified,the mould parts 102 and 104 are moved apart (i.e. the mould is opened)and the main body 12 is de-moulded (i.e. removed from the mould).

As can be seen in FIG. 20B, the load deck 16 comprises of an array ofcube structures, each extending around one of the cavities 24. Each cubestructure comprises four webs 106 on four sides of the cavity 24 and aflange at the top or bottom of the cavity. The cube structure thusextends on five of the six orthogonal sides of the cavity 24—leaving oneside (to or bottom) open. The deck 16 is configured such that cavities26 that are open to the load surface 20 and cavities that are open tothe under surface 22 alternate and the result is that the webs 106 andflanges 108 have a castellated cross-sectional profile as shown in FIG.20B. Apertures 26 are formed in the centre of each of the flanges 108shown in FIG. 20B so that each flange forms a frame around its apertureand this aperture reduces the weight of the main body 12 and providesfor the attachment of grommets (shown in FIG. 10 with reference numeral60). The part of the flange 108 that extends around each aperture 26adds to the rigidity of the load deck 16 and assists in forming acontiguous load surface 20 or under surface 22, as the case may be.

As can be seen in FIG. 20A, the castellated profile of the load deck 16is formed in the single injection moulding step described above byintermittent protuberances 110 that extend downwardly from the uppermould part 102, that are received between upwardly extendingprotuberances 112 of the lower mould part 104. In order for the mouldedload deck 16 to be de-moulded easily, each of the webs 106 has aslightly angled orientation, i.e. it extends at an obtuse (non vertical)angle relative to the load surface 20 and/or under surface 22.

The main purpose of the webs 106 is to provide strength to the load deck16 and more particularly, to ad stiffness to the load deck and preventdeflection under loads. In this regard, each web 106 acts as alongitudinal beam extending under the load surface 20 an in order toprovide stiffness, the web's cross sectional profile should preferablyhave a large second moment of area, in relation to its neutral axis 114.As can be seen in FIG. 20A, the sides of the protuberances 110 and 112are in contact in the vicinities of the centres of each of the webs 106,so that apertures 116 are formed in each of the webs, in the vicinity ofthe neutral axis 114. The result is that each web 106 has material atits top and bottom, i.e. in the regions of its upper and lower edges,that is integrally connected to the flanges 108 and this material ineach web 106 has a large second moment of area, because it is relativelyfar from the neutral axis 114. Each web 106 can thus provide greatstiffness as a result of its high second moment of area, but is light inweight because of material saved by forming the apertures 116. Thesewebs 106 with their apertures 116 extend in two perpendicular, axialdirections underneath the load deck 16 and the result is that the loaddeck is exceptionally strong for its weight.

In embodiments of the invention where the main body 12 can be nested andthe accessory 14 can be nested, when the main body and accessory are notattached together, the pallet 10 (comprising the main body 12 andattached accessory 14) can carry a load of more than 2800 lbs for longerthan 30 days with a 50% factor of safety in a warehouse rack where thepallet is only supported on two opposing feet and it does not bend morethan 20 mm after 30 days.

The main body 12 (without the accessory 14 attached) can carry a dynamicload of up to 2800 lbs when a forklift is carrying the accessory and itsload for loading into containers, trucks or the like, without the loaddeck 16 bending to the extent that goods carried on the load deck falloff.

The main body 12 can be used to export goods in shipping containersinstead of a much heavier wooden pallet (of about 65 lbs) on what iscommonly referred to as “export pallets”, “one way pallets”, or “white”pallets. Conventional export pallets use about 33% less wood than whatan equivalent size pallet that satisfies the requirements for poolpallets (where a pool pallet means a re-usable returnable pallet thatcan be rented on an issue fee (trip fee) basis to a client instead ofthe client buying new pallets).

The two piece pallet 10 of the present invention, together with theremovable deck extension accessories 84, provides the flexibility tocompete with the conventional “white” one-way export pallet on price forthe first export shipment (i.e. where the price of the main body 12 iscompared to the price of a “white” pallet) and then instead ofland-filling, discarding or using the “white” pallets' wood for repairsof other wooden pallets, using the main body 12 as an integral part of anew fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) pool pallet that is stackable,rackable and durable, once the deck extensions accessories 84 areremoved from the pallet. This way the cost of manufacturing the mainbody 12 again is avoided. In the wooden pallet case there is a lot ofwaste as the wooden “white” pallet is the wrong size and is not durableenough and thus cannot be used as an FMCG pallet and is manufactured foronly one way use—as one of its names suggest. The present inventioncould assist greatly in reducing deforestation—especially if the pallet10 becomes a standard. This advantage is further amplified by commercialbenefit, since disposal fees are becoming payable in countries receivinggoods on a pallet, in an attempt to discourage land-filling and improperuse of the world's natural resources

The main body 12 can be manufactured for the export market where themain body is the size required in the destination country e.g. 40 by 48inches with a height of less than 5.72 inches for the USA, and deckextension accessories 84 can be attached around the pallet's load deckto extend the load deck horizontally to increase the size of the loaddeck for the optimal use for export in containers. This enlargement canbe to any suitable size, e.g. to a size of 52×44 inches. The deckextension accessory 84 can be removed, leaving a rackable, durablepallet with size 40×48 inches, the accessory 14 can be attached to themain body 12 to make the pallet 10 a durable pool pallet for use in theFMCG trade.

The main body 12 with the deck extension accessories 84 that enlarge theload deck, is also nestable.

The pallet 10 can be dismantled easily by unclipping the accessory 14from the feet 18, when it needs to be transported empty and the mainbodies 12 and accessories 14 can be transported in separate nestedarrangements. In typical scenarios, the same number of pallets 10 can betransported in five trucks as conventional “white” pallets can betransported in twelve trucks at present, because of the reduced volumeoccupied by the nested parts of the pallet 10. This allows substantialpayload cost savings in containers and on trucks, aeroplanes and trainsand will have a major impact on the environment and carbon footprintreduction of the world.

The pallet 10 weighs less than 44 lbs in any embodiment where it has aload deck size commonly used, but with a load deck size of 40×48 inches,it weighs less than 35 lbs and it is expected to be the lowest weightpallet satisfying the requirement of the FMCG market for racking,stacking and/or durability.

When goods are carried on the pallet 10, the client can add an extra 60lbs payload on the pallet as this is the difference between the weightsof conventional wooden pallets and the pallet 10, allowing about 1500lbs on a 53 foot truck and about 1000 lbs extra weight in a 40 footcontainer to be carried free of charge, by utilizing the pallet weightdifferential between the wooden pallet and this pallet.

Penalties that result from pallets becoming overweight, e.g. with weightgained by water drenching in rain, inconsistent water levels in pallets,etc. are avoided with the pallet 10 and the load can be optimallycontrolled without traffic and other penalties being incurred.

For every 52 trucks-loads using the pallet 10, there is a saving of onecomplete truck load—from a CO2 carbon footprint perspective or putdifferently, 1400 lbs of additional product can be carried on every 53foot truck load—at no additional cost.

The corner sleeve 90 that can be moulded from a thermoplastic elastomer(TPE) or rubbery compound, can be used to avoid impact on the corners ofthe pallet 10 to increase the serviceable life of the pallet, before itneeds to be recycled. Breakages from dropping the pallets 10 on theircorners will also be reduced by the corner sleeve 90. The corner sleeve90 cannot be removed from the pallet 10 while the pallet is assembledwith the main body 12 and accessory 14 attached together. The presentinvention allows for the use of strapping tape to secure and strengthenthe feet 18 of the main body 12 when it is used without the accessory14.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the middle foot 18 ofthe main body 12 can be made with the same configuration as the secondattachment formations 42 of the accessory 14 and the correspondingmiddle attachment formation of the accessory 14 can be made with thesame configuration as a foot 18 of the main body—i.e. the middle foot 18and middle second attachment formation 42 as shown in the drawings, canbe inverted.

Referring to FIGS. 22 to 23, pillar inserts 160 are shown, which areshaped to fit inside the hollow pillars 38 of the pallet 10. Each pillarinsert 160 is a unitary moulding that forms a peripheral wall 162 tocomplement the inside of a pillar and three vertical webs 164 extendingbetween the walls 162. The vertical height of the webs 164 is less thanthat of the walls 162. Apertures 166 are defined on the lower, outercorners of the insert 160 and a resilient clip 168 extends into therecess, with an outwardly facing barb.

FIG. 24 shows a corner of the pallet 10 with four pillar inserts 160fitted inside the pillars 38 that make up a corner foot 18. The upperedges of the walls 162 are lower than the load surface 20 and the upperedges of the webs 164 are lower still. The clips 168 are clipped intoapertures defined at the lower corners of the pillars 38, although thisis not visible in FIG. 24.

Referring to FIG. 25, a corner of a pallet 10 is shown with pillarinserts 160 in the pillars of its corner foot 18 and a top body 12 issupported above the pallet 10, with the lower ends of the pillars of thetop body 12 supported on the pillar inserts 160. In this arrangement,the load surface 20 of the top body 12 is elevated well above the floor(or other surface) supporting the pallet 10 and this is required forreasons of hygiene when handling certain foodstuffs, e.g. in the candyindustry. In a typical embodiment, the load surface 20 will be about 230mm above the floor, thus meeting the industry requirement of being atleast 200 mm above the floor.

In the arrangement shown in FIG. 25, the top body 12 can serve thepurpose of carrying goods continually, e.g. the goods can be received,handled and/or despatched on the body 12, while the pallet 10 onlyserves to support the top body 12 when necessary, e.g. when the goodsneeds to be stored in a rack. There is a gap of about 55 mm between theload deck 16 of the top body 12 and the pallet 10, thus leavingsufficient space for easy entry by the forks of a lifting device, tolift the top body 12 off the pallet 10. The pillars of the top body 12also withdraw quite easily from the pallet 10, when lifted, because ofthe shallower nesting depth. Further, the pillars 38 of the pallet 10are structurally strengthened by the pillar inserts 160 and it is thesepillars that are most exposed to damage, because they are closest to theground and are exposed to damage by lifting forks.

When pallets are transported from one location to another location, e.g.when goods are despatched from manufacturers or suppliers, the goods areloaded on a pallet body 12, which is light and inexpensive, but can bearthe static and dynamic loads of the goods during handling andtransportation. The weight saving resulting from the use of a lightpallet during transportation, rather than a heavy duty pallet allows foran increase in transportation efficiency, whether viewed as a reductionin transported load, allowing more payload mass without increasing thecombined load of the payload and pallets, reducing energy requirementsfor transport, of the like.

When the pallet body 12 is received in a location where it is requiredto have additional structural properties that allows it to be stacked,racked, or the like, e.g. where the pallet body 12 needs to be used in awarehousing system or in a pallet pool, an accessory 14 is attached tothe feet 18 of the pallet body 12, to form a pallet 10, which has allthe properties required for a warehouse or pool pallet. The pallet 10can thus be used in its assembled state at the location where the body12 was received and when the body 12 needs to despatched, e.g. when thegoods are despatched from a distribution warehouse, the accessory 14 canbe removed from the pallet body 12, so that the goods are despatched andtransported only on a pallet body 12, without the accessory 14 and thusagain with the weight saving and benefits mentioned above.

If preferred, instead of attaching an accessory 14 to a pallet body 12at the location where a pallet is required that has the improvedstructural properties imparted by the accessory 14, the accessory 14 canbe provided already attached to a pallet body 12, to form an assembled“slave” pallet 10 and the pallet body 12 that needs to be supported, canbe received on top of the slave pallet 10, with its feet 18 being nestedinside the feet 18 of the slave pallet 10. This approach requires anadditional pallet body 12 to be available for each accessory 14, but itholds the advantage that the accessories 14 need not be attached orremoved from pallet bodies 12.

The slave pallet 10 may preferably have pillar inserts 160 inside thepillars 38 of its feet 18, so that the feet 18 of the top body 12 onlypartly nest inside the feet of the slave pallet, thus allowing spacebetween the load decks of the slave pallet 10 and top body 12 forlifting forks to enter, making de-nesting easier and improving thestrength of the slave pallet's feet.

The term “location” need not refer only to a single building, yard, orthe like, but could be an area of operation, such as a regional palletpool. It is thus not essential that the body 12 is never transportedwith an accessory 14, but that it is transported without an accessory 14for at least some of the time—especially for transport over longdistances.

Apart from the substantial savings in transport costs mentioned above,the method of supporting top bodies 12 only at times and/or locationswhere needed, holds the advantage that only a small number ofaccessories 14 are required, in relation to the number of pallet bodies12 that are used to transport goods. The method effectively requires theaccessories 14 only to be available at the locations where pallets arerequired with improved structural properties for racking, stacking andthe like. There are at any time a vast number of pallets in transitbetween locations where these improved structural properties arerequired and effectively, the invention avoids the need for accessories14 for each of the pallets in transit, and allows the number ofaccessories 14 to be reduced to satisfy the needs only at locationswhere they are really required.

In other embodiments of the invention, a pallet 10 (whether in the formof a pallet body 12 only, an accessory only 14 or a combination of apallet body and its attached accessory) is wheeled in the sense that ithas wheels on its underside that allows it to be moved easily over afloor by rolling action of the wheels. Such a wheeled pallet can receivea pallet body 12 (e.g. a pallet body loaded with goods) and support thepallet body 12 while also allowing the pallet body 12 to be moved aroundby rolling action of the wheeled pallet, without the need to lift thepallet body, e.g. with fork lift trucks or jacks.

The movement of the pallet body 12 on top of a wheeled pallet cantypically be done by hand and fork lift trucks (or the like) are onlyrequired for lifting the pallets, e.g. for loading or offloading onto orfrom trucks, ships, trains, etc. The reduction of the need to lift andmanoeuvre the pallet bodies with fork lift trucks or the like,drastically reduces their exposure to damage. (Bearing in mind that suchlifting devices are the most prominent causes of damage to pallets.)

Further, the ability of the pallets 10 to be moved on wheels by handdrastically reduces the floor space required to store goods on thepallets, because it is not necessary to leave sufficient space betweenpallets for each pallet to be accessible by fork lift truck or jack. Theresulting improvement in floor space utilisation can in many casesobviate the need for racking or stacking of pallets 10.

Referring to FIGS. 26 and 27, the wheels or castors 170 are attached toadaptors 172 that are shaped to clip onto the undersides of feet of apallet body 12, or the wheels/castors 170 are attached to adaptors 174that are shaped to be received inside the protuberances 50 of anaccessory 14, with a snap fit. Instead, the wheels can be fixedlyattached to the undersides of the pallet body 12 or accessory 14. Theadaptor 174 shown in FIG. 27 shows a castor 170 that has been attachedto the adaptor by four bolts 173, but a central hole 175 has is definedin the adaptor, so that it can be used with a castor that requires acentral bolt for attachment—such as the castor 170 shown in FIG. 26.

In the event that finished goods need to be racked before shipping to adistribution centre, end customer, warehouse (e.g. cold storage), or thelike, a pallet 10 will be required that includes a pallet body 12,attached to an accessory 14, without wheels. However, once the pallet 10no longer needs to be racked, the accessory 14 can be unclipped from thepallet body 12 and the pallet body and its load of goods can bedespatched, while the accessory 14 remains behind at the location whereracking is required.

In the event that finished goods are required on pallets with wheels, anaccessory 14 with wheels can be used to receive a loaded pallet body 12,but the accessory 14 can be configured so that it does not attach (clip)to the pallet body 12. Accordingly, when the pallet body 12 and its loadare lifted to load them onto a truck, train, or the like, to despatchthem, the pallet body is lifted free from the wheeled accessory, whichremains behind and only the pallet body and its load are despatched.

By only Transporting goods loaded on pallet bodies 12, transportationthe additional weight of the accessories 14 is avoided in the wholelogistics value chain. This allows for shipment of up to four times thenumber of pallet bodies 12 on the same truck (2448 of them), compared tousing the same truck to transport wooden pallets (612) including top andbottom decks or just wooden top decks with feet that cannot nest.

Referring to FIGS. 29 to 36, apparatus for the handling of goods, in theform of a first embodiment of a pallet bin 118 in accordance with thepresent invention, includes a pallet 10 (whether comprising only apallet body 12 or a pallet body 12 with an accessory 14 on itsunderside) and walls 120,122 that are pivotally attached together.

Each wall 120,122 has a bottom edge 124, a top edge 126, lateral edges128, an outer surface 134 and an inner surface 136 and the walls arepivotally attached together with attachment means in a side-by-sidearrangement, with a pivot axis that coincides with the lateral edges.The exact configuration of the pivotal attachment means may vary, e.g.it may include a part that forms a pivot axle (not shown) and formations(not shows) on the lateral edge 128 that extends at least partly aroundthe axle and that can swivel around the axle, or any other suitablepivotal attachment. Preferably, the pivotal attachment of the walls120,122 at their lateral edges 128 is a permanent attachment, withoutany components that are removable.

The pallet bin 118 includes six walls; two rigid walls 120 and two pairsof inwardly pivotable walls 122, each of these pairs extending betweenthe lateral edges of the rigid walls. The rigid walls 120 are configuredto extend along opposing edges of the load deck 16 when the pallet bin118 is assembled and each pair of inwardly pivotable walls 122 isconfigured to extend along one of the two remaining edges of the loaddeck. In the illustrated example, the rigid walls 120 are much widerthan each of the walls 122 of each inwardly pivotable pair, but thedimensions of the walls may vary, for different embodiments of theinvention.

The walls 122 in each pair of inwardly pivotable walls are attachedtogether at their adjacent lateral edges 128 by pivotal attachmentmeans, to form an inwardly pivotable corner, where the walls can pivotinwardly to a folded position in which their outer surfaces 134 faceeach other, and outwardly to an erected or open position in which thewalls are aligned.

Each lateral edge 128 of each rigid wall 120 is attached to a lateraledge 128 of a wall 122 from a pair of inwardly pivotable walls, to forman outside corner 132, where the walls 120,122 are configured to pivotbetween a folded position in which their inner surfaces 136 face eachother, and an erected or open position in which the walls are positionedwith a 90 degree angle between their inner surfaces.

Each wall 120,122 is a unitary moulding that comprises an array of webs138 defining cavities 140 between them, much like the construction ofthe load deck 16. Each cavity 140 is open on both sides of the wall andhas a tapered shape, extending between a large opening 142 on one sideof the wall and small opening 144 on the opposite side of the wall, witha flange 146 extending around the small opening. The tapered shapes ofthe cavities 140 allow for withdrawal of moulds when making the walls120,122 and adjacent cavities are shaped to taper towards opposite sidesof the walls. The resulting structure with alternate cavities 140 in atwo dimensional array along the wall 120,122 tapering to opposing sidesof the wall, and with their flanges 146 on opposing sides of the wall,form a remarkably strong, yet very light structure. The structuralstrength of this construction is especially remarkable when the wall120,122 is compressed along the plane of the wall, with the webs 138 andflanges 146 bearing the compressive loads in a balanced manner (withouta tendency to bend inwardly or outwardly) and with the webs and flangesproviding stiffness to one another.

The cavities 24 along the edges of the load deck 16 and the load deck'sedges themselves, form deck attachment formations to which the walls120,122 can be removably attached. Along the bottom edge 124 of eachwall 120,122, a number of protuberances 148 are formed, which are shapedcomplementally to the cavities 24 of the load deck 16 and can bereceived inside the cavities. (In other embodiments, the protuberances148 could also have clips or the like, to keep them in position insidethe cavities.) Further, a number of clip formations 150 are providedalong the bottom edge 124 of each wall 120,122, which can grip the edgeof the load deck 16 in a firm, but releasable, clipping manner.

Along the top edges 126 of the walls 120,122, positioning formations inthe form of tabs 152 and ridges 154 are provided, that are shapedcomplementally to the undersides of the feet 18 of the pallet body 12and/or that are shaped complementally to the undersides of the accessory14.

When not in use, the bin 118 can be stored while occupying very littlespace. The space saving features of the nestable body 12 and accessory14 have been described above and in the earlier patent applications.Further, the pivotal arrangement at the corners 130,132 allow the walls120,122 to pivot to a flat, folded condition as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8,with the corners 130 pivoted completely inwardly and the outer surfacesof the inwardly pivotable walls 122 touching, and with the innersurfaces of the walls 120,122 at each outside corner 132 touching.

To erect the pallet bin 118, the walls 120,122 are unfolded from theirfolded position as described above with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, to apartly folded condition as shown in FIGS. 6 and 9 and to an opencondition as shown in FIGS. 10 to 14, with the inwardly pivotable walls122 in each pair in alignment and with the walls 120,122 at each outercorner 132 at a right angle. When the walls 120,122 are in their opencondition, they are positioned to extend along the periphery of the loaddeck 16 and are removably attached to the load deck by inserting theprotuberances 148 into the cavities 24 along the edges of the load deckand by allowing the clip formations 150 to grip the edges of the loaddeck.

When the walls 120,122 are attached to the load deck 16, the pallet bin118 is in an assembled or erected condition and a storage cavity 156 isdefined on the inside of the walls, above the load deck. The pallet bin118 can be used in the conventional manner for receiving, storing,transporting, etc. of goods inside the cavity 140. When the pallet binis not needed for any period, it can be disassembled by unclipping theclip formations 150 from the edges of the load deck 16 and withdrawingthe protuberances 148 from the cavities 24. The walls 120,122 can befolded and the body 12 can be nested in other bodies, etc.

The pallet bins 118 can be stacked by placing one pallet bin on top ofanother, so that the weight of the upper bin is carried by the walls120,122 of the lower bin. This is made possible by the strength of thewalls 120,122 in compression, as described above. Further, the upperpallet bin 118 is held in position relative to the lower bin byengagement of the tabs 152 and ridges 154 with the underside of thepallet 10 (i.e. the body 12 or accessory 14, as the case may be) aboveit.

If required, the walls 120,122 of the present invention can be shapedand dimensioned to be used with a load deck that has been extended by adeck extension accessory 84, by engaging the cavities and edges of thedeck extension accessory instead of the cavities and edges of the loaddeck itself, as described above.

In another embodiment of the present invention (not illustrated), theinwardly pivotable walls 122 may be omitted or may be removable or maybe made very low, so that the pallet bin 118 effectively only includesthe body 12 and the rigid walls 120 on opposing sides of the load deck16. This embodiment allows elongate objects to be carried on the palletbody 12, while protruding over the edges of the load deck, but whileheld in position on the load deck by the rigid walls.

In another embodiment of the present invention (not illustrated), anaccessory in the form of an extension is provided, that can be receivedon the load deck 16 and/or on the underside of the pallet 10, and thatis configured to receive a standard sized large object, especially adrum such as a 44 gallon drum. The accessory need not be very high, e.g.it can be about 50 to 75 mm high, but must be high enough to preventlateral movement of the objects. An accessory can be attached to theload deck to prevent the objects from sliding off the load deck, but ina preferred embodiment, another accessory is placed on the underside ofa pallet 10 that is stacked above the pallet carrying the objects and inthis configuration, the objects form a stable support for the palletabove it.

Referring to FIGS. 37 to 40, a second embodiment of a pallet bin isshown. Features that are common between the pallet bin of FIGS. 28 to 36and the pallet bit of FIGS. 37 to 40, are identified by the samereference numerals, with a suffix “2” in FIGS. 37 to 40.

The pallet bin 118.2 is very similar to the bin 118 of FIGS. 28 to 36,but its walls 120.2 and 122.2 are significantly higher—about the sameheight as the cross-sectional dimensions of the pallet body 12. As aresult, the bin 118.2 is generally cube-shaped. As a result, when thewalls 120.2,122.2 of the pallet bin 118.2 is folded, as shown in FIG.38, it can be laid flat to span generally across the load deck 16 of thepallet body 12.

The pallet bin 118.2 also includes a lid 176 that is pivotally attachedto the upper edge of one of the rigid walls 120.2 and is shown in anopen position in FIG. 37 and in a closed position in FIG. 39. In FIG.38, the lid 176 lies horizontally, on an inverted (upside-down) positionon top of the folded walls 120.2, 122.2.

The lid 176 can be locked closed, attached to the upper edge of therigid wall 120.2, opposite from its pivotal attachment. However, the lid176 includes a hatch 178 that is pivotally attached to a frame 180 thatextends around the periphery of the lid 176. The frame 180 includesrecesses 48 and protuberances 50 disposed at its four corners and midwayalong each edge, at positions corresponding to the attachment formations50 and recesses 48 of the accessory 14. As a result, the bottoms of feet18 of a pallet body 12 can be received inside the recesses, around theprotuberances 50. This nesting of feet 18 on the lid 176 allows palletbins 118.2 to be stacked safely on top of each other, as shown in FIG.40, without risk that a pallet bin will slide off the pallet binsupporting it and while the walls 120.2, 122.2 of the pallet below,bears the weight of the pallet bin(s) above it.

The rigid walls 120.2, and thus the pivotable walls 122.2 and lid 176are attachable to the load deck 16 of pallet body 12 by releasablelatches 182.

In another embodiment of the invention, the feet 18 are not moulded withthe rest of the main body 12, but are moulded separately and are thenattached to load deck 16. The attachment between the feet 18 and theload deck 16 may be permanent or may be releasable. This embodiment ofthe invention holds the advantages that the feet 18 may be made ofdifferent material from the rest of the main body 12, e.g. low costmaterial can be used for one-way (export) pallets or material that ismore resistant to the abrasion and/or impact the feet are likely toendure through contact with the forks of lifting apparatus, in palletpools. The feet 18 are more prone to damage by such forks and inembodiments where the feet are removably attached to the load deck 16,damaged feet can be replaced, thus maintaining the pallet 12 in aserviceable condition at only the cost of one foot. Lastly, differentpallet heights are required for use in different applications anddifferent sizes of the feet 18 can be moulded, so that the pallet 10 canbe assembled to have a selected height.

The strength and stiffness requirements of the load deck 16 can vary,depending on the intended purpose of the pallet 10 and in order toensure sufficient strength, when necessary and to reduce weight andcosts, when possible, the thickness (i.e. depth) of the load deck can beselected to be thicker (e.g. 36 mm) for pallets 10 that are capable ofracking. Likewise, the number of cavities 24 and webs 106 in the loaddeck 16 can be increased to provide a stiff/strong load deck, or thenumbers of cavities and webs can be reduced to provide a lighter loaddeck.

Some of the webs 106 within the load deck 16 are slightly thicker thanthe others and have no apertures 116, so that they serve as beams thatstrengthen the load deck. These thicker webs preferably extend all theway between opposing edges of the load deck 16, to provide strength allthe way up to the points of attachment of the edge inserts 68, deckextension accessories, or walls 120, to the load deck.

1-57. (canceled)
 58. A pallet comprising a load deck with a generallyplanar load surface, said load deck defining a plurality of cavities andwebs extending at least partly between adjacent cavities, said load deckhaving dimensions of about 40×48 inches, and a plurality of spaced-apartfeet protruding from the load deck on a side that is opposite from theload surface, said feet being hollow and tapering, such that the feet ofan upper such pallet are at partly receivable inside the feet of a lowersuch pallet in a nesting manner; wherein said pallet: (a) deflects byless than 20 mm when supported on opposing edges under a load of 2800pounds; (b) Is made of fibre reinforced material; and (c) weighs lessthan 40 pounds
 59. A pallet as claimed in claim 58, wherein said palletweighs less than 30 pounds.
 60. A pallet as claimed in claim 58, whereinsaid pallet includes an accessory extending between at least some thepallet's feet
 61. A pallet as claimed in claim 58, wherein each of saidwebs of the load deck has a cross sectional profile with a neutral axis,at least some of the webs extend at an obtuse angle relative to the loaddeck, and at least some of said webs define apertures between an upperedge and a lower edge of each such web, such that said apertures are inthe vicinity of the neutral axis of the web.
 62. A pallet as claimed inclaim 61, wherein the load deck defines an under surface that extendsgenerally parallel to the load surface and the load deck includesflanges extending from upper edges of the webs, generally co-planaralong the load surface; and flanges extending from lower edges of thewebs, generally co-planar along the under surface; said flanges definingapertures in the load deck and the under surface, between adjacent webs.63. A pallet as claimed in claim 62, wherein at least some of said webshave one of said flanges extending from the upper edge of said web inone direction and one of said flanges extending from the lower edge ofsaid web in an opposite direction.
 64. A pallet as claimed in claim 58,wherein said pallet includes inserts that are shaped to fit removablyinside the hollow feet of the lower main body.
 65. A pallet as claimedin claim 58, which includes an accessory and wherein at least eachcorner foot defines at least one first attachment formation that isattachable to the accessory of the pallet, such that the accessoryextends at least between the attachment formations of the corner feet,said accessory including a plurality of second attachment formationsthat are attachable to the first attachment formations on at least someof the feet and the accessory defining a plurality of accessory recessesin which the feet are receivable, at least in part, wherein said firstattachment formations are defined at the bottoms of the feet and thesecond attachment formations are disposed inside the accessory recesses,where they are protected against damage.
 66. A pallet as claimed inclaim 65, wherein the accessory defines at least one beam extendingbetween at least some of the feet when the accessory is attached to thefeet.
 67. A pallet as claimed in claim 65, wherein feet recesses aredefined in undersides of the feet and accessory protuberances aredefined on the accessory, the accessory protuberances being receivablein the feet recesses, at least in part and each of the accessoryprotuberances is of a hollow construction with tapering walls, such thatthe accessory protuberances of one such accessory are partly receivableinside the accessory protuberances of another such accessory in anesting manner.
 68. A pallet as claimed in any one of claim 65, whereinthe attachment formations are releasable.
 69. A pallet as claimed inclaim 68, wherein the attachment formations include clip formations andwherein the pallet defines release apertures through which a releaseelement can be inserted to release the clip formations.
 70. A palletcomprising a load deck with a generally planar load surface and aplurality of spaced-apart feet protruding from the load deck on a sidethat is opposite from the load surface, said feet being hollow andtapering such that the feet of an upper such pallet are partlyreceivable inside the feet of a lower such pallet in a nesting manner,wherein said pallet includes inserts that are shaped to fit removablyinside the hollow feet of the lower pallet
 71. A pallet as claimed inclaims 70, wherein said pallet includes a plurality of wheels that arereleasably attachable to said pallet.
 72. A pallet as claimed in claim71, wherein each of said wheels is rotatably supported in an adaptor,which is attachable to said pallet in a clipping manner.
 73. A load deckwith a generally planar load surface, said load deck having an openconstruction defining a plurality of cavities and webs extending atleast partly between adjacent cavities, each web having a crosssectional profile with a neutral axis; wherein at least some of the websextend at an obtuse angle relative to the load deck and at least some ofsaid webs define apertures between an upper edge and a lower edge ofeach such web, such that said apertures are in the vicinity of theneutral axis of the web.
 74. A load deck as claimed in claim 73, whereinthe load deck defines an under surface that extends generally parallelto the load surface and the load deck includes flanges extending fromupper edges of the webs, generally co-planar along the load surface; andflanges extending from lower edges of the webs, generally co-planaralong the under surface; said flanges defining apertures in the loaddeck and the under surface, between adjacent webs.
 75. A load deck asclaimed in claim 74, wherein at least some of said webs have one of saidflanges extending from the upper edge of said web in one direction andone of said flanges extending from the lower edge of said web in anopposite direction.
 76. A pallet comprising a load deck with a generallyplanar load surface and a plurality of spaced-apart feet protruding fromthe load deck on a side that is opposite from the load surface, saidfeet being hollow and tapering, such that the feet of an upper suchpallet are at partly receivable inside the feet of a lower such palletin a nesting manner; wherein releasable attachment formations aredefined on the said load deck and feet, to which accessories areremovably attachable.
 77. A pallet as claimed in claim 76, wherein saidpallet includes at least one edge insert that is releasably attachableto said edge with grip formations gripping the edge, said edge insertincluding a protuberance that protrudes above said load deck.
 78. Apallet as claimed in claim 77, wherein said pallet includes at least onedeck extension accessory that is releasably attachable to said edge withgrip formations gripping the edge, said deck extension accessoryextending in alignment with the load deck, from the edge of the loaddeck, when attached to said edge.
 79. A pallet as claimed in claim 76,wherein said pallet includes: a plurality of walls, each wall defining afirst edge, which forms a top edge in use, a second edge, opposite fromthe first edge and which forms a bottom edge in use, and third andfourth edges that form lateral edges in use; pivotal attachment meansholding the lateral edges of adjacent walls together in a pivotingside-by-side arrangement, with a pivot axis extending generally alongthe attached lateral edges; and wall attachment formations disposedalong the bottom edges of the walls, said wall attachment formationsbeing releasably attachable to the releasable attachment formations ofthe load deck.
 80. A pallet as claimed in any one of claim 76, whereinsaid releasable attachment formations include attachment formationsdisposed on the undersides of the feet of the pallet and said palletincludes a plurality of wheels that are releasably attachable to saidattachment formations.
 81. A pallet as claimed in claim 80, wherein eachof said wheels is rotatably supported in an adaptor, which is attachableto said pallet in a clipping manner.
 82. A pallet as claimed in any oneof claim 76, wherein said pallet includes inserts that are shaped to fitremovably inside the hollow feet of the pallet
 83. A pallet comprising aload deck with a generally planar load surface and a plurality ofspaced-apart feet protruding from the load deck on a side that isopposite from the load surface wherein said pallet includes at least onesleeve that can be attached to a foot of pallet by extending around atleast part of the foot.
 84. A pallet comprising a load deck with agenerally planar load surface and a plurality of spaced-apart feet thatcan protrude from the load deck on a side that is opposite from the loadsurface wherein said feet are manufactured separately from the load deckand are attachable to the load deck and optionally to an accessory. 85.A pallet as claimed in claim 84, wherein said feet are releasablyattachable to the load deck.
 86. A pallet as claimed in claim 84,wherein said feet are made of different material from the load deck.